Post as NPC

Trev the Tap

Adam

Oct 1, 2021 9:30 am
A GM wanting a quick NPC would include something like this in their post:

Trev the Tap


...the system wouldn't render the tag in the post, but simply use it for the avatar image and name?
I more meant outside the box, in the place of our avatar's image, but that's not a bad idea either and would be a lot easier to code. I've been doing that a bit in one of my games, experimenting with using an image to demonstrate who was speaking. I dropped an image below as an example, but having the NPC's name there would be nice, too.

EDIT: And some easier tools to resize images couldn't hurt either...

https://i.imgur.com/CL9uXj1.png
Yes - that's what I meant too. It'd be a tag that changes the posting avatar and name (basically what you'd have to create a character for at the moment).
Oct 1, 2021 9:36 am
According to my profile, I've created 340 characters on GP and they're nearly all NPCs. I think something like this would make my life easier.

I don't know what would happen if multiple NPC tags were added - maybe then it floating inlines them with a caption (a bit like Skeptical_stun's image, but prettier).
Oct 1, 2021 10:17 am
I approve this idea even if I'm not a GM *yet*. I believe it will save a shit ton of space in the [database (?), server(?)].
Correct me if I'm wrong @adam.
Also, maintaining a list of npcs as snippets is possible that way, right?
Oct 1, 2021 10:20 am
Antiproduct says:
Also, maintaining a list of npcs as snippets is possible that way, right?
Huh! Yes, it would. That'd be pretty neat.
Oct 1, 2021 10:24 am
Imagine taking out of the server npcs... Just yours and Qralloq's will free half the server's capacity I believe.
Oct 1, 2021 12:23 pm
I bloody love this feature.
Oct 1, 2021 1:11 pm
So the way it works is that if you just post and put an npc tag in the post containing the title and avatar then it renders that post as if you'd created that character.

[npc="Trev the Tap"]https://i.imgur.com/s6xRmWR.jpg[/npc] Lorem ipsum dolor sit...


https://i.imgur.com/tkbOPKI.png
If you also selected post as, or there are multiple NPCs then it renders the NPCs within the post.

https://i.imgur.com/P3czmMf.png

https://i.imgur.com/0Sa82S3.png
The tag works for players too so it might be useful for familiars, hirelings, or other guest posters.
Antiproduct is quite right in that the new snippets allow the GM to store a list of their favourite NPC tags in a custom character sheet. And because you can now reuse character sheets for snippet integration, they can be reused in multiple games.
Oct 1, 2021 1:19 pm
If you quote a post with an npc, the npc is stripped out (because that would get confusing).
Oct 1, 2021 1:58 pm
I think that when people get a wind of this, they'll have their minds blown. 😁*


*Mandatory millenial's emoji.
Oct 1, 2021 3:03 pm
Having Snippets or templates that handle the copy paste would be a time saver.

This is what I do anyway. I long ago stopped making NPC sheets, not only did it save a lot of organising (even on sites that had better management features) but it also freed me up to, more easily, create NPCs on the fly, and to include more than one in a post.
Oct 1, 2021 4:14 pm
I would love this feature!
Oct 1, 2021 4:52 pm
bowlofspinach says:
I would love this feature!
If I can't have this feature, then I'm going on developer strike. This is a game changer for me (I have 340 characters - nearly all NPCs).
Oct 1, 2021 5:00 pm
I have far fewer but most of them are NPCs as well.

That's why I've been advocating for stuff like NPC sheets or separating NPCs and PCs. But this is a much more elegant solution than any of those, especially if the Snippet menu comes back
Oct 1, 2021 5:16 pm
The only downside to not having NPC sheets is that players can not click on them to see what the NPC is all about. I don't like that anyway, keeping them up to date with more than just the starting bio and background (which quickly becomes obsolete as NPCs develop) is rare, so there is little value; but mostly I like to have the scene where the NPC appears provide enough context for people to not need to look at the sheet.

Some GMs use the NPC sheets as notes on what is happening. But I play on too many varied platforms for that to have become a habit and keep my notes in my note-keeping system (Org Mode, if you must know).
Oct 1, 2021 5:20 pm
We'll still have NPC sheets if people want to use them, this will just be for all the other NPCs.
Oct 1, 2021 5:21 pm
One thing that excites me is the reuse of NPCs using sharable snippets. If multiple DMs are running Witchlight then they don't have to repeat the work of creating NPCs.
Oct 1, 2021 5:24 pm
Adam says:
One thing that excites me is the reuse of NPCs using sharable snippets. If multiple DMs are running Witchlight then they don't have to repeat the work of creating NPCs.
Yeah. The snippet can include a link to some shared resource with more information on the NPC.
Oct 1, 2021 6:23 pm
Shared NPC database / per system? Perhaps a "Resources" forum is needed. Especially if you consider other stuff that could be there, like the shared art/picture threads.
Last edited October 1, 2021 6:25 pm
Oct 1, 2021 8:54 pm
Not sure I'd use it as I am a Lazy GM, but sure! Go for it!

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